26th Nov 2021
Reddie & Grose’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) newsletter, a collection of insights into how patents can protect AI related inventions, and what AI can do for the intellectual property world.
18th Nov 2021
Reducing humanity’s reliance on non-renewable fossil fuels is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Biofuels such as biodiesel and bioethanol represent more sustainable alternatives to their fossil fuel counterparts: petrol and diesel. Lifecycle analysis shows that biodiesel and bioethanol also on the whole have superior environmental performance when compared with fossil fuels in areas such as global warming, fossil depletion and ozone layer depletion1. Is this technology new? Of course not.
15th Nov 2021
Following the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, our attention is drawn to the ten-point recommendations in the COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health. One of the points proposes the transition from polluting fossil fuels to renewable energy for household heating. In the UK, 14% of greenhouse gas emissions come from heating in homes, so addressing heating will play a big role in reaching the net zero goal. Recent soaring gas prices in the UK provide additional motivation to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. By decarbonising the power supply, the UK will not only address climate change and improve public health, but also protect customers from volatile fossil fuel prices.
12th Nov 2021
Although the UK has long contributed to the design and development of commercial and military satellites, these satellites have been launched from locations outside of the UK. However, in recent years there has been a growth in the design, development and launch of so called “Smallsats”. The low mass and form factor of a Smallsat allows a consequent reduction in the size, complexity and cost of launch vehicle required. The use of a polar orbit also provides opportunities for space launches from countries whose land mass is far away from the equator… such as the UK.
11th Nov 2021
Despite the scepticism they faced over the past few decades, renewables continues to become increasingly competitive in the energy landscape. In particular, the solar energy industry has seen an extremely rapid development in the past decade. In 2020 alone, we saw over 127 GW of new photovoltaic (PV) power generation capacity installed, leading to the total global PV power generation capacity of 707.5 GW (702.9 GW on-grid and 4.584 MW of off-grid [1]) at the end of 2020. This means more than one fifth of renewable energy in the world today is generated by PV technology.
10th Nov 2021
In the run-up to COP26, a number of recommendations for priority actions to tackle climate change were published in the COP26 Special Report on Climate Change and Health, one of which is to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport. In November 2020, the UK Government published their Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. Point 5 of the plan looks at Green Public Transport, Cycling and Walking, in which the government said they will “launch a national programme of support to increase uptake of electric bikes” and set a target milestone of by 2025 they will “double cycling rates from 2013 levels to 1.6 billion stages per year”.
9th Nov 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently caused a stir when he announced to a room full of schoolchildren that recycling plastic ”doesn’t work” (reported here). The PM’s comments upset some, but he did have a point. According to Sian Sutherland, A Plastic Planet co-founder, “less than 10% [of plastic waste] is actually recycled in the UK. Despite being touted by industry as a solution to the problem, all it has done is justify overproduction” (reported here).
9th Nov 2021
As the UK hosts the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the world is focused on climate change and what actions we can take to address it. Recent analysis by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation which found meat and dairy accounts for 14.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions — the same as all cars, HGVs, aircraft, and ships combined. A move towards more plant-based diets is therefore seen as a key factor for a more sustainable future.